Lyresa Pleskovitch, D.C.
Nasim Gorgani, D.C.

Thoughts

EPAT for plantar fasciitis, tendonitis and muscle strains

I’m happy to announce an exciting new treatment option for my patients with serious muscle strains and tendonitis – EPAT® therapy. EPAT® is an advanced new technology for treating many forms of soft tissue injury.

Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Treatment (EPAT®) has proven to be effective in treating acute and chronic muscle strains, and tendonitis. It is most commonly used to relieve plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, patellar tendinitis and quadriceps tendinitis.

EPAT® is an FDA-approved treatment that uses acoustic pressure waves to stimulate and accelerate healing of injured tissues. It was originally developed in Europe and is currently used around the world.

The treatment is applied topically, using a special applicator to deliver acoustic pressure waves to the site of injury. Treatment sessions take approximately 15 minutes. Some patients report immediate pain reduction after one treatment, but relief after 3 treatments is more common, and maximum results can take up to 4 weeks after the last treatment.

EPAT® is safely non-invasive, and has virtually no risks or side effects. Some patients experience minor discomfort during and/or shortly after application. Please note that people with deep venous thrombosis or malignancy should not receive EPAT® treatment. It is also recommended to avoid the procedure if you are taking blood thinners.

Patients receiving EPAT® should be off all anti-inflammatory medication for a minimum of 1-2 weeks prior to the procedure, and 4 weeks after. That includes Advil, Motrin, Aleve, and aspirin. These medications reduce the natural inflammatory process that is needed for healing.

While EPAT® treatment is FDA-approved, we are not aware of any insurance company that pays for the procedure at this time. It does qualify for payment from a health savings account, however.

Insurance companies should get on board. EPAT® has a proven success rate equal to or better than traditional treatment methods, without the risks, expense or lengthy recovery time of alternatives, especially surgery.

If you have any questions please feel free to comment below, email, or call the office for an appointment. I’ll be glad to talk with you about EPAT® and your other treatment options.